4 Cardinals pitchers who were disappointments in 2023

Miles Mikolas

The Cardinals put their faith in Miles Mikolas by signing him to a three-year, $55.75 million contract in March to give them a piece for their rotation through 2025, but his first season under the new contract has been underwhelming. The pitch-to-contact hurler has suffered enormously from the lack of a shift, amassing a BABIP of .310, 60 points higher than last year's mark.

The issues for Mikolas run deeper than just the rule changes. His opponents' average exit velocity spiked from 87.8 mph to 90.5 mph, and his ground-ball percentage dwindled from 45.9% to 39.5%. His hard-hit rate also skyrocketed from 36% to 42.8%. As for the counting stats, Mikolas has a 4.95 ERA, his worst as a Cardinal, and a 7-13 record.

The Cardinals have likely seen the best of the 35-year-old Mikolas, but he will need to rebound somewhat in the next two seasons to keep his new contract from being a disaster. No longer a solid No. 3 starter, Mikolas will ideally be the team's No. 5 after some offseason pitching acquisitions.